Through The Looking Glass
by iNSaNiTY.xCheshire
Summary: Alice the 89th leaves for a holiday on Alice's fixed holiday and a new Alice is requested by the Queen of Hearts to take the place as a temporary Alice. Arthur Kirkland was just minding his own business while reading a book under a tree when he got pulled in by a certain cat. "Where exactly did you get this Alice from? His eyebrows are-" "Do not insult my eyebrows!" Slight AU.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Well, first story published! A Hetalia and Are You Alice? crossover~ Two of my favourite Anime/Manga combined into one story. Though am I the only one who sees the similarities between Arthur and Alice the 89th? Honestly I adore these two~ Not only because of the fact that they are both blondes, but their personalities are a charm too. Anyways, I ramble too much… On with the story!**

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**WARNING: Story is set in a slight AU during Alice's fixed holiday and the characters which are dead in the original story are alive in this story for the sake of the story's plot.**

**DISCLAIMER: Hetalia and its characters belong to Hidekaz Himaruya and Are You Alice? and its characters belong to Ai Ninomiya. I only own the story plot.**

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**Chapter 1: Down the Rabbit-hole – With a cat.**

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The cat leapt gracefully from one tree to another, reddish-brown hair swaying in the wind, maroon eyes scouting the area. "Found him!" Coming to a slow stop, the cat gave a final strong kick with his legs before jumping and landing in front of his target, eyes shining with anticipation. The target of course, was startled by the sudden performance of the cat. "Y-You insufferable feline! You nearly gave me a heart attack!" The White Rabbit was obviously unhappy, having being on his way to tend to Marianne but instead meeting the wretched cat that nearly died of heart attack. The Cheshire Cat shrugged with a playful grin on his face while the poor frightened (now angered) rabbit glared daggers at him, face flushing red with anger. "What do you want? If you're here just because you are bored, then I won't hesitate to slice you up into pieces!" Cheshire raised his hands up in defeat and a look of hurt flashed across his eyes.

"My apologies for frightening you, White Rabbit…" The rabbit ear teen scoffed, his right hand crept slowly to the sword attached to his belt, not fully trusting the Cheshire Cat. However, the action did not go unnoticed by the cat. "…Ah, there's no need for violence now, is there..? Besides, I'm here for a more important purpose…" At this, White Rabbit stopped his actions and looked at the taller man with suspicion. "You are not jesting me now, are you? Surely you know the consequence of lying to me." A small chuckle escaped the taller man's lips. "Absolutely not. I'm just a mere house pet; I wouldn't dare lie to you. In fact, his royal majesty the Queen of Hearts gave me a mission to retrieve a new Alice." White Rabbit's crimson eyes widen in surprise. "A new Alice? Was the last one killed off already?" The albino teen questioned with some hope in his voice but the hope quickly died away with the Cheshire's answer. "I'm afraid not. It's the Alice's fixed holiday tomorrow and his royal majesty wants me to get a temporary Alice, since Alice the 89th is going on a holiday. Even though it's Alice's holiday, 'A country won't do without a proper Alice!' he says."

The White Rabbit slumped back in defeat against a tree, muttering something along the lines of 'Queen of Hearts will be the death of me one day' and 'Better get a proper Alice'. "So could I borrow the passage way? I promise to be real quick!" Cheshire's voice snapped him out of his trance. Sighing softly, the rabbit teen hesitated. "Alright then… But you better get a real and proper Alice!" The cat merely smiled, thanked the rabbit and went off on his mission.

"I really need to get someone new for the Cheshire Cat's role…" White Rabbit heaved a sigh of complaint before heading his own way.

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**xXxXxXxXx**

Arthur Kirkland (also known as England/United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland) was not the one to enjoy parties with large crowds of people eating, chatting or dancing all at the same time, but he certainly did enjoy picnics. This was why now the blond was packing the contents of his picnic basket. He was certainly not going miss out on such a wonderful weather. Scones? Check. Sandwiches? Check. Tea? Check. With the picnic basket in one hand and a good book in another, Arthur Kirkland was ready to go on his day of relaxation and having a wonderful picnic on the hills near his house.

Luckily, the cheerful 'self-proclaimed' hero Alfred F. Jones (also known as America/United States of America) was busy with his work back at his own place so he wouldn't have time to bother Arthur on such a day. It was one of those rare days when Arthur can truly enjoy the peace and quietness around. Walking out of the backyard and up the hills, the blond took his time to admire the nature around him and listened to the bird's happy chirps. No loud American breaking through his door, no Francis trying to break into his house through the window (he had taken extra measures and locked his windows firmly shut), today was a beautiful day indeed.

Finding a perfect spot from atop the hill next to a huge oak tree, Arthur set up his picnic and took out the book that he had yet finish and sat down by the tree. The top of the hill provided the English nation with a 360 degree view of the area around, and the tree had provided him with a decent shade from the sun. It was definitely the perfect spot for nature lovers. Arthur smiled softly, flipped open his book and began reading. The book was called 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'; a book that the blond had adored for a long time, but never did get the chance to finish it. 'If I only I get a chance to experience what Alice had, that would probably be the best experience I ever have…' Arthur thought jokingly to himself.

Suddenly, he felt a tug on the hem of his jacket from behind and before he could even turn to check what was happening, he was being pulled back and into darkness. "What the blood-" A hand clamped over his mouth. "Now, now Alice-chan~ There isn't a need to make such a fuss about it." A voice purred into Arthur's right ear and sent shivers down his spine. Who the bloody hell tried to kidnap the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and where was he taking him?!

England tried struggling out of his captor's hold, but from the amount of strength the captor used to hold onto him, escaping was impossible. 'Damn it! If only I had strength like Alfred, escaping out of this situation would be much easier!' Arthur cursed inwardly while his captor just hummed a happy tune. How long is this fall going to be? Shouldn't they reach the bottom by now? And it's really dark… Wait, this seems kind of familiar…

Arthur's eyelids began to grow heavy as the fall continued; soon, he was drifting off into his own wonderland in his sleep. But right before his eyes totally closed, his captor's voice whispered by his ear again.

"Don't worry much about it Alice-chan, we'll be there soon~"

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**A/N: And so Arthur's adventures will continue in the next chapter! Hopefully the characters are not OOC... I am a huge fan of Cheshire Cat (hence my FF name) and my FF naming idea also came from the Vocaloid song iNSaNiTY. But my most favourite characters in Are You Alice would be the March Hare and Jack~ Also, no worries! Everyone's favourite hero will appear soon enough!**

**Hope that everyone enjoyed the first chapter of this story! Please do leave a review if you do, suggestions will also be welcomed on how to improve it but flames will be taken to roast marshmallows~ Thanks for reading and do look forward to the next chapter!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Sorry for the long wait! School's being a drag but holidays are here now! I never did think that anyone would find this story but I'm glad that someone found it! Special thanks to: sweetyeevee, for being the first reviewer! And urufushinigami for being the second reviewer! *hands cookies* Honestly, I didn't think that Alice the 89th and Arthur would be that similar either until I took a closer and more careful look at the two. *laughs* Also, I'm happy that this plot looks interesting to you all! Now back to Arthur's adventures in Wonderland!**

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**WARNING: It's a pretty long warning but it would be the same as the first chapter.**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own**.

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**Chapter 2: The Queen's Croquet-Ground – Becomes a battlefield.**

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"…-lice? Alice-chan? Wake up~" Arthur groaned in annoyance. Who the bloody hell was trying to wake him up now? He was having such a nice nap and the soft ground was just getting comfortable. If there was one thing about Arthur, it was that he absolutely despised being woken up in the middle of his sleep. That was an unwise decision to make and Alfred already had a first-hand experience with the end result. 'If it's that bloody loud self-proclaimed hero, I'm going to make him read the whole dictionary.' The English nation smirked to himself at his idea while his eyes still remained shut. "Alice, rise and shine or you'll miss teatime with the Queen~" The annoying voice went at it again. But this time, Arthur jolted right up from his sleeping position. There was no way that he could miss teatime with the Queen!

Wait a minute. Who's Alice? That was certainly not his name and neither was he a girl. Due to just being woken up from his nap, England's brain was still a little foggy and unable to comprehend fully the situation around him. "Ah, so you're finally awake! I didn't really expect that to work though…" Currently, a guy with reddish-brown long hair and cat ears was smiling rather creepily at him and getting much too close to Arthur for his own liking. "GAH!" Was the word that the blonde could say before pushing the mysterious half human-half cat hybrid away from his face. "W-Who the bloody heck are you?!" Arthur took a look around him at his surroundings. "And where the heck is this place?!" He was definitely not on the hills near his backyard and instead, he was in…a forest? Arthur definitely did not remember coming to the forest for his picnic and he certainly did not remember that there was this mysterious cat-person tagging along. Cheshire Cat looked a little hurt at the question that Arthur asked, but quickly returned to his smiley self. "Aww, you mean you don't remember who I am? _A-l-i-c-e-chan~_" The playful cat whispered the last past into England's right ear yet again, watching in amusement when he jumped back in shock. "Y-You're that mysterious attacker!" Arthur flushed and shouted, pointing an accusing finger at the Cheshire Cat, while at the same time rubbing furiously at his poor abused right ear.

This Alice was definitely more fun to tease, Cheshire decided. And the reactions were priceless. "Bingo! But you're not right about me being an attacker. I'm here on official business!" The blonde looked puzzled. "Anyways, I almost forgot to introduce myself. I am the Cheshire Cat, and I will be your guide for today. Welcome to Wonderland, Alice~" Cheshire stood, politely introduced himself and offered a hand to Arthur who was still sitting on the ground. The English nation hesitated for a moment, before finally taking the hand.

_Can I really trust this guy?_

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**xXxXxXxXxXx**

"What do you mean by this is Wonderland? Are you trying to say that this is like the Wonderland in 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'? And why are you calling me Alice? My name is Arthur Kirkland, and I'm perfectly male." Cheshire let a sweat rolled down his face as he listened on to Arthur firing questions at him all at once. They were now walking along the path that leads from the forest to the town, long passing the_ 'Welcome to Wonderland'_ fancy looking sign. "Yes and no, there's a reason for that, and yes, I do know that you are male…" Arthur heaved a sigh while gazing ahead. "This…isn't a dream, is it…?" Cheshire Cat raised a brow at the sudden question and bore his maroon eyes into the blonde's side profile. "Hmm? What makes you say that?" Silence overcame the duo for some time before Arthur started speaking again. "Well, before all of this, I wished that I could experience what Alice had went through. I didn't really think this would actually happen." The cat let out a light hearted chuckle. "Perhaps this is fate then!" The blonde continued gazing ahead. "The world works in a strange way huh?" Cheshire Cat did not answer to that.

Soon, the pair was out of the forest and in town. The town was filled with joyous laughter, cheerful music and enjoyable performances. Today seemed like a special event. "Oh, don't worry much about the town people, Alice~ They are pretty much always like this and trust me, it gets worse when the Queen visits… The whole town would go into chaos! But today is Alice's fixed holiday you see, that's why the people here are more excited than usual~" Arthur looked around nodding, as though as he was enjoying himself, though he really was. It had been quite some time since he had been able to enjoy himself in such a festive mood, and he wasn't going to miss out on an opportunity like this either. The Cheshire Cat, as if reading his thoughts, pulled him along by his hand and broke out into a full run instead of letting the said blonde enjoy himself. "W-What the heck?!" Was all Arthur could say before his breath got taken away… _Literally._ "My apologies, Alice. As much as I would love to accompany you to enjoy the festive mood, but I'm afraid that the party is not for you... And you have an appointment with the Queen!" Arthur stared back with a look of disbelief.

"An appointment with the Queen…?" The blonde was baffled. Cheshire only grinned back. "That's right! The Queen has been really looking forward to meeting you, and if I don't bring you over on time, it might be off with my head. I still like to keep my head, thank you very much." The pair ran on with Arthur nearly running out of air. Not long after, a grand looking castle came into sight. At the entrance was a blonde hair man dressed in a formal suit, with an eye-patch on his right eye and a sword was attached to the side of his belt. The man bowed in a polite manner. "Ah, so the Queen has requested you to welcome the new Alice, Knave of Hearts? Must be a really important matter then~ Though I see that the Queen hasn't allowed you to speak yet." The cat smiled mischievously, attempting to lead the English nation into the castle, but only to be stopped by the Knave of Hearts. _'No pets are allowed.'_ Knave of Hearts held up a sign board. Cheshire pouted. "Not even for the one who helped in finding a replacement temporary Alice?" The loyal right-hand man of the Queen of Hearts held up another sign board. _'Nope. It's the Queen's absolute order to meet the new Alice alone with zero disturbances.'_ A sigh escaped the cat's lips. "Such a pity…I was looking forward to enjoying the delicacies that might be available here… Well, new 'Alice', it seems that our meeting will have to end here for the time being. But I do hope to see you around soon!" And just with that, the reddish-brown hair man disappeared into the crowd of excited citizens.

Arthur just stared at the retreating back of the cat, dumbfounded. He didn't really understand what was going on anymore. Knave of Hearts approached him once more. _'Shall we go in then? The Queen is waiting for you.'_ The blonde nodded and followed Knave of Hearts into the castle. If possible, the interior of the castle had looked even grander than the castles that England had visited. On the way, they passed many female workers (maids perhaps?) and each greeted them with a smile. Were the workers here all female? At last, they finally reached two huge grand double doors. Apparently they had reached their destination. Arthur was starting to get nervous for some reason. True, he had have meetings with the Queen of England multiple of times, but this was a different thing all together. This was the Queen of an unknown country that he has never set foot in before. And he didn't even know the rules! Cheshire Cat did also mention something about 'off with my head', so would he end up with the same fate if he didn't obey?

Arthur shivered at the thought. _'Alright, Arthur Kirkland. This is not the time to be nervous. You've been in meetings with the Queen for multiple times now! Despite the fact that this is a different Queen, you just have to obey, answer carefully and be a gentleman.' _These were the thoughts of Arthur Kirkland as he stepped into the room behind the huge grand double doors. _'This place is absolutely huge!'_ The Englishman thought in awe and looked ahead. In front of him stood the Queen of Hearts, with her back facing him. Arthur gulped, pulling a little at his necktie. Was it just him or was it getting a little harder to breathe now? No, it was just the Queen's powerful aura that was overwhelming him. Jack, who stood at the side of the room doesn't seem to be affected by the aura at all. Arthur at that moment could only wonder who the powerful lady was, with such an aura that leads the country. "It is really an honor to be able to be here, your majesty." Arthur kneeled and bowed to the Queen in front of him. "It's a pleasure to be able to meet you too, Alice." The voice echoed throughout the room, revealing to be…_a male's voice…?_

The blonde who was still kneeling on the floor glanced up. Staring back at him was a handsome face, dark eyes that sent a piercing gaze. So…the Queen of Hearts was a guy…? Arthur's jaw nearly dropped. The Queen of Hearts should be a female shouldn't it? But there stood a male in female clothing, and it seemed that the clothing had actually very much fitted the man. The English nation glanced to the side at Jack, but as usual, his expression remained stoic. It seemed that males being in female's clothing were normal in this country.

"No need to be that shock, Alice." The Queen chuckled. "It's a dress code that has already been set. And you may rise. Shall we head on to the gardens to have tea?" Arthur nodded as he stood, then following the Queen who was escorted by his ever loyal right-hand man. There were many things that confused Arthur Kirkland that day. The gardens were absolutely beautiful, Arthur thought inwardly. There were different varieties of flowers, different colours, but there weren't any red flowers at all. _'That's pretty weird… Wasn't the Queen of Hearts supposed to like the colour red…?'_ Now that the Englishman thought about it, he hadn't seen a trace of the colour red ever since he stepped into the castle, and neither was the Queen wearing red. The party soon arrived at the huge table that was set in the middle; many delicacies were atop the table. Arthur sat at one end of the table, while the Queen sat at the other with Jack of Hearts standing beside him.

"So I supposed it is your first time coming to this country, Alice?" Arthur nodded. "Your majesty my apologies, but my name is not Alice…its Arthur Kirkland." Queen of Hearts frowned at the reply. The English nation squirmed uncomfortably in his seat. Had he offended the Queen in any way? "I am guessing that the cat didn't explain to you then. Jack, summon the Cheshire Cat here now." Jack nodded and bowed, then walking off in hurry in search of the Cheshire Cat.

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**xXxXxXxXx**

"Did your majesty called for me?" After a few minutes of awkward and uncomfortable silence, the cheerful cat was finally brought in. "Yes I did. Now care to explain to me why you didn't tell Alice anything about what was going to happen?" Cheshire grinned back playfully. "I supposed I was kind of absorbed in wanting to show Alice-chan the wonders of this country that I somehow forgot~" The Queen felt a vein popped somewhere. "Don't test my patience Cheshire Cat. You should know better on what would happen." Said cat just smiled and went over to Arthur. "Since I didn't have a chance to explain it, I'll do it now~ Basically, today is Alice's fixed holiday. It's the event where the citizens get to celebrate and party while Alice rests at home from his activities. But apparently, our dear Alice the 89th decided to take a vacation, which is why he isn't present at the moment. You majesty here feels that the country isn't right without Alice, so wants me to find a temporary Alice that is similar to Alice the 89th. On another note, despite whatever your name might be before, after coming to this country and receiving the temporary name and role of Alice, your name shall remain 'Alice'." Cheshire ended his explanation with a grin and a little dance. Arthur began to slowly take in the information.

"Speaking of which, where exactly did you get this Alice from?" The Queen of Hearts paused for a moment to study Arthur. "His eyebrows are-" The blonde became furious. "Do not insult my eyebrows!" All eyes widen at the sudden outburst. The blonde then realized what he just did. "W-What I meant was, I-I don't like people to talk about my eyebrows that casually…" He was probably in deep trouble now. However, the Queen only let out an amused chuckle while the cat laughed. Jack strangely continued to remain stoic. "Alice-chan is really particular about his eyebrows, it would seem~" Arthur's face flushed. It's not like he could help it. People around him teased him for it, especially a certain French nation, and he found it somehow harder to contain his anger on issues pertaining to his eyebrows. _Unless it was a compliment of course._

"Well then, Alice. After this, you will be meeting Mad Hatter, who will be your guide and bodyguard for the rest of your stay. He will be guiding you on how to become a proper Alice, and introduce you to people whom you will meet." Arthur nodded in defeat. This looks like quite a confusing job that he would had to take on. "Oh, and Cheshire Cat? You haven't answered my question yet." The Queen turned back to the cat. "Of course, your majesty. I simply followed your orders~ You said you needed someone like Alice, so I found one according to the requirements! He's blonde and a male, just like Alice the 89th! And he has quite the similar temper too." The dark hair man felt another vein twitched. He took out his scythe and pointed it at the cat. "I specifically order you to get an Alice who meets the requirements. And I am sure that even a house pet like you can understand that what I'm trying to say is to find an Alice with the qualities that fits to be Alice." Cheshire raised his hands up as a form of surrender. "As I was saying your majesty, he is pretty similar to Alice the 89th with his temper and everything… And there is no need to get that worked up over it…it's just going to be for a short period of time your majesty…" The cat gulped and took a step back when the Queen pointed his scythe closer.

He really needed to think of an escape plan now if he still wants to live to tease Alice for another day.

Arthur gazed nervously at the scene in front of him._ 'Maybe I should stop them…'_ A hand was placed on his shoulder. Jack of Hearts stood at the side shaking his head while holding up his tool of communication. _'You shouldn't try interfering, Alice. You'll only get hurt.'_ The English nation tried to regain his calm composure. Jack was right. He didn't have anything with him that might be useful to stop a fight, and talking them out doesn't seem to be any of the options here. _'I doubt that they will even listen…'_ Even though he was a nation, Arthur didn't want to risk getting hurt by the deadly looking scythe or whatsoever. Who knows if the scythe had held some strange powers or magic?

Without warning, a sword came flying past the Cheshire Cat, close to almost cutting his face, and impaled itself on the ground. "You bloody cat!" Came the shriek from behind Arthur. The blonde quickly turned around to see who was the one who launched the surprise attack, only to find himself meeting with an albino teen with rabbit ears. To say that the White Rabbit is angry was an understatement. He was absolutely fuming mad. The Cheshire Cat had visited his place earlier, claiming that he had finished his 'Alice mission' and finished the tray of food that the rabbit was supposed to serve to Marianne when he wasn't looking. The cat skipped off merrily after that.

"Oh? If it isn't the White Rabbit. It looks as though you have some unfinished business to settle with the Cheshire Cat. But as you can see, I am currently busy with him right now." The Queen cast a glance at the White Rabbit, his scythe still pointed at Cheshire's face. "If that's the case, then I suggest that we'll just slice him up together!" The albino teen glared angrily before charging at the cat. "I suppose I wouldn't mind taking off his head myself." Queen of Hearts smiled and raised his scythe. Arthur gaped at the battle dumbfounded. Looks like they have all forgotten that there was a guest here. Cheshire Cat dodged both of the attacks, jumping gracefully in the air and onto a nearby statue. Insults were thrown, so were weapons. It was a sign that the battle wasn't going to stop any time soon. A hand tapped Arthur's shoulder and a paper was passed to him._ 'Mad Hatter is waiting outside for you. As for the battle, it's fine to just leave it. They will come to their senses soon. Just leave this place as soon as possible.'_ The Englishman stared at Jack worriedly. "Are you sure you're going to be fine here…?"

Jack nodded and signaled Arthur to leave. Arthur muttered a 'thank you' and took off for the main entrance. There on the front entrance steps stood the Mad Hatter. Hatter turned to stare hard at Arthur with a lit cigarette in his mouth.

"So you're the new Alice? Took you long enough…"

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**A/N: And cut! I tried making the chapter as long as I could and this is how it came out. Sorry if the characters were a little OOC… I initially wanted to make a battle with them just throwing cakes and desserts at each other but that would be kind of ridiculous…*chuckles* And that would be wasting those yummy desserts. Hatter doesn't approve! Does anyone want another omake or a special extra chapter? It would probably be about why Alice the 89th decides to go on vacation out of the country and how all these plans came to be. Hopefully this chapter was enjoyable! Thanks for reading and remember to leave reviews or suggestions! It will be greatly appreciated!**

**Next chapter: A Mad Tea-party - Where Regrets are invited.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Thanks to sweetyeevee for reviewing, apologies for the slight OOC-ness of the Queen and I'm glad that the chapter made your morning! Speaking of which, has anyone else played the Are You Alice? PSP game? I've played through it and it was honestly one of the best games I've played despite not fully understanding Japanese but I still can make out some parts of what the characters were saying. The game is kind of different from the manga, sadly March Hare did not appear in the game… Though there are new characters like the Tweedle twins, White Knight and Rose! Overall, it was an enjoyable game even if the ending did sort of break my heart… (It wasn't a totally sad ending, more of a bittersweet ending.) Hopefully the manga will have a happier ending but I guess I can't complain if the manga wants to follow the game. Anyways, enough of my ramblings and on with the story!**

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**WARNING: Same a previous chapters.**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own.**

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**Chapter 3: A Mad Tea-party – Where Regrets are invited.**

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Arthur blinked at the man smoking in front of him. The man was wearing a black suit; the top part of his rather curly raven hair was covered by a hat. "You're the new Alice right?" The blonde nation nodded slowly. Mad Hatter signalled Arthur to follow him as he walked down the stairs, which Arthur soon followed on closely behind. "Try to keep up and be cautious of your surroundings. Its troublesome having the new Alice going missing and being attack on the very first day. Keep your eyes out for Regrets." Arthur stared at the man in front of him, puzzled. _What was a Regret anyways?_ The man hadn't seemed too friendly to Arthur at first, so the blonde had decided to keep the question to himself. The duo squeezed their way through the crowd of people on the streets, with Arthur mumbling numerous 'sorry' as he bumped onto the people while Hatter remained quiet, though none of the citizens who were celebrating and enjoying themselves in the festive occasion seemed to mind.

Unfortunately for Arthur, it was not before long that he realised that he had been separated from Hatter. The English nation looked around, slightly panicking, but all he could see was the crowd of joyous people stretched on for miles and miles. Arthur tried squeezing his way out of the crowd in hoping of finding a higher place where he could search for the Hatter among the sea of people easier. He had ended up in an alley somehow. The blonde sighed softly, resting his head against a wall. There was no way that he was going to squeeze his way back in again. Arthur hoped inwardly that the Hatter had noticed that he went missing and come to look for him. Looking around, Arthur realised that the alley led to a dead end. Posters regarding 'Alice's Fixed Holiday' had been stuck onto the walls, along with advertisements on sales and whatnots. The English nation turned back around to face the sea of people, tiptoeing and hoping that he would catch a glimpse of black somewhere among the crowd. Suddenly, a melodic voice rang out from behind him.

"Might Alice be actually lost now?" Arthur quickly spun around to find himself face to face with a petite blonde girl. Where did she appear from? The girl had sky blue eyes, which remind Arthur of a certain blonde idiot, and long blonde hair that curled a bit towards the end. Her fringe was pulled back by a black headband. Speaking of a certain blonde idiot, Arthur started wondering how long had he been gone and if Alfred had noticed that he was missing. The girl's voice snapped him back to reality. "Perhaps Alice is feeling lonely?" The girl asked again, Arthur gasping in surprise as he was being hugged by the girl from the front. He tried prying the girl off, but it proved to be useless when the girl refuse to even budge one bit. _'How does a petite girl like her even have such strength?!'_

The girl looked up and gave Arthur a bitter smile. "Why don't you give me the name and that way, you'll never be alone again." The blonde nation stared questioningly at the girl who was still hugging her. "What do you mean? And I-I'm not lonely!" The girl smiled again, this time her expression a little off. "Give the name 'Alice' to me." Arthur continued to stare, dumbfounded. "What? My name isn't even Alice, it's Arth-" Before Arthur could even finished his sentence, he was being pushed back into the dead end of the alley. "That's fine then. _You can die._" The girl's smile turned into something twisted as she lunged forward. Arthur, who was still unable to fully comprehend the situation, shut his eyes tight and braced for the impact and pain coming. A sudden gunshot rang in the air accompanied next by a sickening crack and a howl of agony.

Arthur cautiously opened his eyes, wondering what had happened. Hatter was standing at the entrance of the alley with a gun in his hand, smoke still coming out from the barrel of the gun, and the place where the girl had been just now was now just a black smoke that was dissolving in the air. Mad Hatter made the first move and sighed. "I told you to keep close and look out for regrets…" The blonde nation stood up, a little shaky and leaned against the nearby wall. "Sorry about that. There were really a lot of people… And…that was a Regret?" Hatter nodded and kept the gun back into his suit. "I suppose no one told you about it yet. Regrets are those who are the past 'Alice' who died and even after they die, they will still be after the name 'Alice'. It's the only way for them to be free." Arthur shuddered from the thought. He definitely did not want to become like them. "But of course, my job is to protect you from the likes of these."

Arthur nodded, albeit weakly but glad that Hatter had come to save him in the nick of time. "Now come on, I don't want to be late for teatime." The duo then proceeded walking out of the alley, this time with Arthur following closely behind the Hatter. He did not want to encounter those people again. The walk to Hatter's place was a quiet one, with no one starting a conversation and Arthur in a rather deep thought._ 'A need to be more careful myself… I wonder if anyone had noticed that I went missing. Surely someone must have noticed now...'_

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**xXxXxXxXx**

"Artie! Dude, where are you?" Alfred, or also known as the United States of America, was now currently in Arthur Kirkland's house, due to the fact that he had finished his work early and he had found a spare key under a flower pot in the said nation's garden. The blonde with glasses searched nearly the entire house but found no sign of Arthur. "Did he go out or something?" Alfred decided to head into the kitchen to grab a snack or two, and he noticed that most of the food in the refrigerator was gone. "He must've gone on a picnic or something." Deciding that he would go on an adventure to search for Arthur, Alfred picked out a bag of chips that was in Arthur's kitchen cupboard and set off. Surely Arthur wouldn't mind.

"Judging from the looks of it, Artie didn't drive his car out so he must be somewhere near!" The blonde nation came to a conclusion as he went out to the hills behind Arthur's backyard. Sure enough, when he reached the highest point of the hill, he had found Arthur's picnic basket and book beside a tree, but the owner was nowhere to be seen. "That's weird… Arthur usually won't leave his things unattended like this… Did something happen?" Alfred smacked himself inwardly for thinking something like that. There was no way that something would happen to Arthur. He is a strong nation after all. A rustle in the nearby bushes caught Alfred's attention. He decided to investigate it.

Walking closer to the bush, Alfred saw something poking out of it. It was something black. Out of curiosity, the blonde pulled the black thing. A loud yelp could be heard from behind the bush and out stumbling came a brown hair teen with a rabbit ears hood.

Sky blue eyes met with bright light green eyes.

Two screams could be heard echoing through the air that afternoon.

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**xXxXxXxXx**

Arthur sneezed as the duo came to a stop in front of a building. He wasn't particularly superstitious about things like that, but he had a feeling that someone was talking about him. "We're here. And just in time for tea." Hatter took out his pocket watch and nodded approvingly at it. The building was a hat shop. Just as the name of the owner that suggests it. Arthur chuckled amusingly to himself. The pair entered the building and the blonde studied the inside, finding it to be a rather neat place. A place where he would find it to be peaceful, Arthur added inwardly.

Mad Hatter led Arthur to the room upstairs where Arthur sat on the chair near the dining table while Hatter took off his hat and suit to go prepare tea. 'A peaceful music playing in the background will make the place more soothing to be in.' The blonde thought to himself once more as he continued to look outside the window. A knock from downstairs interrupted his train of thoughts. "I'll go downstairs to check who it is." Arthur suggested helpfully seeing that Hatter was busy preparing his tea and he looked as though he hated to be interrupted at a time like this. "Alright but take this with you." Hatter threw a spare gun to Arthur in which the blonde caught it in mid-air. 'I suppose I could get used to things like these…' The English nation fumbled with the gun in his hands as he walked downstairs. He kept the gun in his suit, in a pocket which was much easier to access, lest the one knocking was another Regret trying to attack him.

Arthur opened the door cautiously and found himself looking at another blonde girl in front of him. The girl had brown eyes and curly blonde hair, a headband adorned on her head, and a small pout was visible on her face. The girl was the one who started speaking first. "Huh, so you're the new temporary Alice? You don't seem like much you know. I don't understand what does the kitty sees in you. I could be a better Alice but that damn cat just had to kill me! And you're not really that charming either. I mean look at those eyebrows. I don't understand why the Queen approves of you…" And she rambles on. Arthur stared disbelievingly at the blonde girl. _Wait…did she just insult him…?_ "Who is it?" Hatter's voice came from behind and his expression darkened upon seeing the visitor.

"Hatter…!" Before the girl could make any advancement, the barrel of a gun was already pointed directly at her face. "I won't hesitate to shoot you." Came the reply from the owner of the gun. The girl held up her hands and stepped a few steps back. "Relax. I'm not here to take Alice's name or anything. Besides, he doesn't really own the name 'Alice' since he's just a temporary Alice… And, I want to personally get the name from the hands of the 89th Alice." An innocent smile was shown but it made Arthur somehow uncomfortable about it. "Also, I'm just here to chat! Being a Regret has its disadvantage, you know. Like being lonely because no one wants to chat with you or even notice you! It's heart-breaking!" The mysterious girl smiled while she exaggerated. Hatter threw a suspicious look at her. "…Fine. But if you dare try anything, I won't hesitate to shoot you." The girl nodded enthusiastically. "I promise!" And with that, the two went back in with a new guest trailing behind them.

"So you're the new Alice right?" Arthur nodded and slowly sipped on his tea, the newcomer sitting opposite him while Hatter sat beside him keeping an eye on the girl. "Hmm… Being Alice is hard work, yes? I mean facing all those dangers around you and having trying to finish the game. Perhaps you should just give the name to me and I'll help you out." The sound of a loading gun could be heard. "Ah, but I'm just kidding though! I prefer taking the name personally from the 89th Alice. I'm the 88th Alice by the way. I hadn't really stayed here long before I was killed by that insufferable kitty. Comparing to the 89th Alice, I feel that you're more tolerable than him. So that's why I'm being friendly to you now!" Arthur felt a bead of sweat trickling down his forehead.

The 88th Alice was a really talkative person… _'Maybe that's why the Cheshire Cat killed her?'_ The evil side of Arthur's mind supplied helpfully and Arthur immediately smacked the thought away. "Anyways, I really do miss teatime like this… Right, Hatter?" The blonde girl turned to Hatter whereas the said man chose to ignore the question and took out his cigarette pack. "That's mean…" Arthur decided to remain quiet as he observed the scene in front of him. Looks like the 88th Alice and Hatter have some sort of thing going on between them in the past.

Time continues to past as awkward silence thickens in the atmosphere of the room.

A knock on the door broke the silence.

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**A/N: Alfred appeared at last! And did anyone found out who the mysterious person that Alfred met was? Last part seems to have a little of 88th Alice x Hatter scene… For me, I thought their relationship runs kind of deep since Alice the 88th actually does like Hatter (as can be seen from an extra in the manga) and Alice the 88th does rely on Hatter quite a lot, like on protecting her. It's an overall interesting relationship to me. I've made Alice the 88th the rather talkative person because well, in the extra, it shows her personality on how she's jealous of Alice the 89th being the somehow 'perfect lover' type of person and always stealing Hatter's attention. *chuckles* This chapter ends here and I hope everyone enjoys it! Reviews and suggestions are always welcomed!**

**Next chapter: A meeting with the Duchess – When troubles began to form**.


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